Drunken drivers have alternative sentencing

Anyone facing a drunken driving case in Roseville or Fraser may want consider the 39th District Court Sobriety Court — not to get out of the ticket, but to help themselves realize the importance of driving sober.

“It’s a great program and I am very thankful that I was allowed to participate in it,” said Raymond John Kaner, a waiter who picked up his “graduation” certificate Wednesday. “It changed my thinking ...”

Kaner, 34, said he owes a debt of gratitude to 39th District Judges Marco Santia, Joseph Boedeker and Chief Judge Catherine B. Steenland and Probation Officer John Rocco. He said it was through their efforts to keep the program going that gave him a fresh look on life.

He said he is not an alcoholic and very seldom drove after drinking. But the Roseville resident admitted he made a mistake drinking the night he got stopped without headlights by police on Gratiot Avenue.

“I always tried not to drive after drinking,” Kaner said after picking up his certificate during the nationally declared Alcohol Awareness Month. “I did and I lost. But I try not to preach to people about drinking and driving.”

Kaner said it would have been a lot cheaper for him to call a taxi cab or limousine to drive him home the day he was stopped. He said he has had to pay expensive attorney fees and miss time from work.

Judge Santia started the program in 2009. Since then 142 drunken drivers have gone through the program and 61 graduated. There are 50 participants enrolled in the current class that requires members to attend 90 Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and showing up for several court dates.

Santia said the program gives participants a new prospective on life. Some people do not graduate for a variety of reasons and are excluded from the program. Some participants spend 12 to 14 months in the program.

Those arrested for drunken driving aren’t permitted in the program if they use illegal drugs or have a history of violent behavior. Judge Boedeker said the participant in the program work together to help each other and become sort of a family. He said Sobriety Court can be considered a strict type of probation. “Most people in the program want each other to succeed.” Boedeker said. “Most people take full advantage of the benefits offered by the court.”

Steenland, an 11-year veteran of the court, said people in the program usually stay for two years until their probation ends. She said most realize that if they take one drop of alcohol, it could ruin them forever.

Chiragkumar Patel, a college student who graduated from the class on Wednesday, said he is a true-believer of the court. He was so impressed that he donated $500 to the court.

“This court made me believe it is difficult but not impossible to win the battle over alcohol,” he said.

Another man, who asked that his name not be used, said he had been trying to stop drinking but the Sobriety Court was the only program that helped him.

“My only regret is that I wasn’t able to do it before,” he said.

The “Interlock” system has stimulated the sobriety program. A person must blow into a tube several times while driving, and if it shows a trace of alcohol the vehicle stops running.

“It’s a lot better than not having a driver’s license,” Judge Santia said.